Here’s an analogy for you to think about. An onion isn’t a very complex thing, but it has more than 12 times as much DNA as a university professor according to Dmitri Petrov of Harvard University. After all, DNA is the stuff of which genes are made, and genes contain recipes for making proteins that make humans and onions what they are. It would seem logical that more complex organisms would need more DNA.
Not all DNA, however, is useful; that is, not all of it is involved in gene activity. Scientists don‘t really know why it‘s there, and they refer to it as “junk DNA.” Humans, onions, and other organisms lose DNA when mistakes are made during reproduction. Components of genes may be deleted, or changed to make a plant or animal more or less fit for the daily struggles of life. This process might explain the genetic differences among species like humans, onions, and fruit flies. “Organisms like fruit flies may be careless about copying junk DNA giving them compact, junk-free genomes,” Petrov points out. “Others, like onions, may faithfully reproduce everything, resulting in a cluttered and junky genome.” Humans would be somewhere in between.
In NLP, our beliefs and values could be said to represent our cluttered junky genome, some content is essential and some is not. Our core values and beliefs are mostly unconscious and are usually formed in order to support, define and protect our identity.
Values
Values are concepts for which people will make extraordinary efforts. They provide the motives for behaviours explained by phrases like ‘It seemed the decent thing to do’, or ‘I did it because I want to live with myself in peace’. The more deeply held a value, the less consciously is it’s holder aware of it. Values include deeply held beliefs about what is right and wrong, good and bad, acceptable or unacceptable conduct, and about what is worth wanting, working for and making an effort to keep in life.
Values are an evaluation filter and are used by us to perform two functions: (1) provide motivation before we take action, and (2) after-the-fact evaluation, judgement, about our actions. It is the way we judge good and bad, right and wrong and have an emotion of how we did. Values are the things we move toward or away from.
Meta Programmes
Our meta-programmes are the deepest unconscious filters and represent our preference for how we take in and process information. NLP has identified over 60 different meta-programmes. One example of a Meta-programme is Motivation Direction - this is about what will trigger a person into action – are they motivated towards those things that give them pleasure or away from those things that cause them pain.
You can discover a person’s motivation direction by asking “why is having that (value) important to you?” and carefully listening to their reply. To create motivation you can use either their preferred motivation direction or both away from and towards in your communication. “Learning NLP means you will no longer be able to not communicate but will have the skills to build relationships and create motivation easily”.
Beliefs
Beliefs are those convictions we trust as being true. They are statements about our internal representations or how we believe the world is. They are generalisations about our actions and about what we are doing and about what we want to do. Beliefs are attached or related to a certain values in clusters and may form a Belief System.
Beliefs are not a statement of truth or fact, though we sometimes act is if they are. They are all learned and can be added to or changed. Core beliefs are those which are usually deeply held and are supported by other beliefs to maintain them.
When we believe something, we act as if it is true. In coaching it is essential to hold the empowering belief that change is possible for your client and to help your client hold empowering beliefs about the change themselves. Doing so can often mean letting go of outdated or limiting beliefs.
Creating Empowering Beliefs
When considering outcomes it is essential to hold empowering beliefs about achieving them and avoid feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness. You need to believe it is possible to achieve your goals, you are able to and you are worthy of that achievement. What beliefs do you have about your goals in life? Here are some good thoughts.
You cannot know what your limits are until you reach them. It’s not that you can’t do something, you just haven’t done it yet. It’s possible to achieve
Have you put a mental block on your achievements? Keep an open mind. You are able to achieve.
You are entitled to success if you have the right desire to succeed. You deserve to be happy.
Ben
